Portrait of Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Image: 3 1/16 × 2 3/8 in. (7.7 × 6.1 cm) Sheet: 6 7/8 × 4 5/8 in. (17.4 × 11.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Anonymous Gift, 1924
Accession Number
24.80.43
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant 1776 engraving presents a refined profile portrait of Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, the celebrated French violinist and composer known for his innovative sacred works and operas. Created by Charles Nicolas Cochin II in collaboration with engraver Jean Marie Delattre, the small-scale print captures the musician’s distinctive features with crisp lines and subtle tonal shading typical of 18th-century French graphic art. Engravings like this played a vital role in the Enlightenment era, allowing images of cultural figures to circulate widely among the educated public. The prof...